Which lights would you get?

Discussion in 'T5 Aquarium Lighting' started by Mr.Ace, Jun 3, 2010.

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  1. Mr.Ace

    Mr.Ace Flamingo Tongue

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    I had an old T8(yes, T8 ) fixture that I had modded over my 55 and it was working fine and allowed me to keep on putting off buying a new lighting system. Well today I smelled burning plastic and sure enough the fixture is dead. So I'm looking for a T5-4 bulb fixture. I found a local guy selling on Craiglist and I talked him down to $120 on this fixture T5 High Output Light Fixture

    and I found one of Ebay for the same price(including shipping)

    I don't want to go high dollar because I don't plan on having the 55 for more than a couple more years. So which one of these would you get?
     
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  3. MoJoe

    MoJoe Dragon Wrasse

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    I'm pretty sure the one on eBay is an Odyssea fixture, never heard of the Craigslist brand.

    I would still pay a little more for a better one, even like a WavePoint would be nicer and you could get it from say BigAlsOnline and use the 10% off code (3REEF) and get it closer to $200 216W (4x54W) HO T5 4-Lamp Lighting System - 48" - Lighting - T-5 Fixtures at BigalsOnline

    The Wavepoints actually have nice reflectors and come with decent stock bulbs too. They are the lower price end but are of great quality IMO.

    The next step up would be something like the Aquatic Life fixture, then you have your TEKs, then your ATI's, etc.

    If you go for a lesser name brand you may smell that "burnt plastic" again one day and wish you had spent the extra for the nicer fixture. A couple years is fairly long so get quality to save you $ down the line.
     
  4. horkn

    horkn Giant Squid

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    I have to fully agree with mojoe.

    Usually the better t5 units have individual parabolic reflectors, and while I have never heard of the one on the CL ad, it sure does not appear to be of a SLR type.
     
  5. Seano Hermano

    Seano Hermano Giant Squid

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    I agree with previous posts. Also, do you realize both the pics are of 2 bulb fixtures? You said you want a 4-bulb? Edit: the one on ebay is a 4 bulb. But the craigslist one appears to be 2 bulb.
     
  6. Mr.Ace

    Mr.Ace Flamingo Tongue

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    There you guys go trying to spend more of my money!!! I know you get what you pay for in this hobby, but I'm not keeping any corals that require high lighting and I have one more year in my apartment before a move and upgrade(or at least that is the plan right now).

    And both are 4 lamp fixtures.

    But I understand your points.
     
  7. kcbrad

    kcbrad Giant Squid

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    I would go with the Ebay one, just because I've heard of that brand *if it is Odyssea. That would make me feel a little better about the investment.
     
    Last edited: Jun 3, 2010
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  9. 2in10

    2in10 Super Moderator

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    Go for one that has at least a molded/formed reflector. The ebay one looks like it is a flat reflector.
     
  10. MoJoe

    MoJoe Dragon Wrasse

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    If you have your wallet set on one or the other I would message the eBay user and see what brand it is. Odyssea has had some bad feedback with their Metal Halide fixtures, one that caught on fire I read about somewhere. I haven't heard many fire-related things about their T5's though. You can't put a price on piece of mind yknow, $ can be made.
     
    Last edited: Jun 3, 2010
  11. reefmonkey

    reefmonkey Giant Squid

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    The ebay one is an Odyssea. I've dealt with that seller in the past and all of the equipment he sells is Odyssea/Jebo. The 'individual' reflectors are actually one large one with folds between the bulbs. I bought my Odyssea 4 bulb 10/09 and it burned up The last week in Jan of this year. Topdog is a very good seller though.
     
  12. Mr.Ace

    Mr.Ace Flamingo Tongue

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    Well, the "individual" reflectors thing was really the only thing going for the Ebay fixture. I looked into Solarmax a little more and found some of their 48" 2-T5 lamp fixtures retailing for between 140-180. It was tough to find revues, but the few I found were positive. The fixture on CL is a 4 lamp Solarmax fixture that has been used for less than 6 months...seems like that is the way I'm gonna go. I will be sure to let you know if my decision was just a waste of $120 or if I got a good deal.